A Short Road to Insanity
by xxxAceBlade
Summary: Why did Zant turn traitor on the Twilight Realm? Finally, Zant's backstory is revealed, and the envy of the younger brother is revealed... Does not hold religiously to the facts presented in Twilight Princess


A Short Road to Insanity

Chapter 1

Birthright

"She's been found! The princess has returned!" The words, an hour old now, echoed in his head as he stared off the balcony. After a day like today, Zant was in need of soothing. As always, the colors of twilight did not fail him.

Still, his meditation was far from peaceful. His sister had returned, yes, but he didn't know her. Two years older than him, Midna had vanished as a child. The memory was a dim glimmer in his mind; all he could remember was the agitation of his parents at they searched far and wide, their visits to him becoming further and further apart. As the prince, he was not the heir apparent, so they had always treated him like a burden. Over the years, this favoritism had become a source of irritation. It was a pain he had blamed on Midna.

Placing the blame on his sister was illogical; no, it was solely the curse of birthright that had caused him his misery. Logically, he knew he should perform his familial duty, giving Midna a tour of the palace she had been absent from so long. He should be taking part in the celebrations, sitting at the right hand of his new princess. Though her power had not come into full bloom yet, she was still the ruler of the Twilight Realm.

Logic, however, was coming in short supply for Zant. He had spent the last ten years on the assumption that he would be given the full measure of his ancestors' power, rather than the paltry amount assigned to the younger heir. He was more than capable; the magic of the Twilight Realm was as much a part of him as his hands were. If anyone could wield the full strength of Twilight, he could. Midna was simply unprepared. She was naïve, with little understanding of the power she would eventually wield.

Worse than that, she was abrasive. He could easily see from the councilors' expressions that her uncouth comments were ill-received. A ruler needed tact; he had to guide the realm with wisdom and power, staying aloof of the masses. Midna was the opposite; already she had proven more inclined to the company of those far below her rank. It was quite detestable really.

"Oh well," he said, turning away from the edge of the balcony. "I'll just have to help her along."

Yes, that would do it. He would be the guiding hand; he might not have all of the power, but his influence would be unrivaled.

The door slid open and Midna sauntered out, a wineglass in her hand. "Tired of me already?" She smirked.

Zant bowed. "Just enjoying the view, dear sister." He gestured to the drop-off. "Care to share it with me?" It was personal; that view _meant _something to him. To her, it was probably the same off every balcony. However, if he was going to be an influence, some things had to be sacrificed.

To his surprise, Midna didn't respond with any comments. She just moved to his side, staring out at the clouds of twilight. Zant was pleased; perhaps they did have something in common. A faint glimmer of hope started to shine through.

"My realm…" Midna's voice was soft, but the words cut to his heart. He'd been a fool to see a sentimental side to her.

She turned abruptly away, tossing back her wine. With a few long strides, she made her way to the door. There she paused.

Without turning back around, she said. "I noticed that the people don't really like you."

Anger flared in his heart. "That would be unfounded; I am a very fair regent."

"Hmm." The door opened. "Maybe they would like you more if you didn't spend so much time staring off into space." And then it slammed shut, leaving him alone on the balcony.

He took a few deep calming breaths. Turning away from the door, he placed his hands on the balcony railing. It was just a rough start. If he gave it a few more weeks, he and Midna would be as close as family should, and he would have enough influence to wield actual power. It would be quite simple actually. Once she had built up trust in him, she would see that he was a far more capable magician. She would start delegating more and more power to him, until…

Until what? Did he dare dream of treachery?

He began pacing back and forth along the balcony, his hands behind his back. "It would be for the good of the kingdom…"

As a matter of fact, why wait? If he delayed longer, Midna would gain full control of her powers. Removing her would be much more difficult then. At the moment, however, he was far more powerful.

He spun on his heels and strode for the door. Passing through it, he hardly noticed it shut behind him. The sounds of celebration in the atrium were growing louder as he hurried down the stairs. As he approached the hall, he slowed to a dignified stride, although he ached to break into a full sprint. The idea was forming in his head…

Of course, nothing went as planned. The moment he arrived, Midna spotted him.

"Brother!" She called out. "I was just about to give a toast. Have anything you want to add?"

"Want to add?" He was puzzled.

"You know, goodwill on the nation and all that and this."

"Actually, I have a few words I would like to say."

She bowed mockingly, making a sweeping gesture to the podium nearby. "Then by all means, _dear brother_, make your remarks." She stepped back, smirking.

It was just perfect. Nothing could go wrong now.

"My dear subjects," He began. "I regret to inform you that we are in the presence of an imposter." He gestured at Midna.

"I pray that you will all file out in an orderly fashion; this will all be dealt with by the morrow." Muttering, the crowds left. Zant turned to look at Midna.

She merely raised her eyebrows. "I honestly did not see that in you. You just didn't seem like a traitor."

Zant smiled. "No, it is your treachery that befouls this domain."

Lazily, she sprawled out on a nearby sofa. "You able to back that up? The gods themselves witnessed my validity. You saw it."

He waved his hand dismissively. "A mere illusion; anyone with rudimentary control over twilight could do that."

This was not how it was supposed to go. She seemed too at ease with the situation, to sure of herself.

"You think I'm so stupid as to not prepare for something like this?" Midna stood up, her face a deadpan. She walked up to him.

"Hmm?" Surprised he could only stand there as she placed a single finger under his chin, tilting his face up to meet her gaze. Mentally, Zant gathered his strength. All he needed was one good hit…

_BAM_! Midna flew backwards, landing on one of the great tables. Dinnerware and candles flew to the sides as she slid down it. She groaned, rolling over onto her side.

Zant advanced on her, energy gathering in his hand. Midna's unfocused eyes stared at him. She was desperately trying to pull herself together. It wasn't enough though. He felt giddy as he raised his hands, the Twilight coalescing into a huge sphere of power. With a grunt, he slammed it down.

When the smoke cleared, Midna was lying prone. The blast had driven her completely through the table, shattering it into several pieces. Midna wasn't moving.

"Guards!"

Three Twili stepped into the room.

"Take the false princess and lock her up. I want maximum security with a rotating guard shift."

To stunned to say anything, the guards merely nodded and followed his orders.

He watched as Midna was dragged away. "Where are your preparations now, sister?"

Midna's body dissolved. He tensed, shock traveling through him.

"That's not the question." He spun, Midna's voice was coming from all around him. "The question is: Where are _your _preparations?"

The area around him lit up with a pinkish light. He looked up just in time to see the sphere of Twilight hit.

Then it was all black.


End file.
